Launched by anonymous crypto traders, the LUIGI token has become a hot commodity on Raydium, an automated market maker built on the Solana blockchain.

The token started gaining traction after Luigi Mangione's arrest on December 9 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, for the alleged murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Riding on Mangione's infamy, the token's market cap rocketed to over $60 million before falling back to $30 million in just three hours. As of this writing, MC is down another $4 million.

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Source: DexScreener

Many online traders are buying into LUIGI, with some rallying around the alleged anti-establishment ethos they claim Mangione represents.

For context: Anti-establishment refers to movements, ideologies, or behaviors opposing existing power structures, dominant elites, or established societal norms.

Where is the Justice for Brian Thompson?

Not everyone supports the killer. A new token called $BRIAN has emerged that is supposed to bring justice to Brian Thompson, but for some reason, the token is much less popular.

While parts of the crypto community denounce the incident and call for justice for the victim, the numbers tell a grim story. The $BRIAN token's market cap fell by 25.23% to just $68,000, with a 24-hour trading volume of $691,000 and liquidity at a meager $33,000.  

Why is the victim less popular than the villain?

At the time of his murder, Thompson was near the New York Hilton Midtown, on his way to UnitedHealthcare’s annual investor conference to report a $30 billion profit for the year.  

UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurance company in the U.S. with over 50 million customers, offers a wide range of insurance products but also leads the industry in claim denials.  

The company has faced numerous complaints and investigations from patients, doctors, and lawmakers over its refusal to pay medical claims. These practices are under fresh scrutiny after law enforcement revealed that shell casings found at the crime scene bore messages like "Denied," "Defence," and "Depose."  

Earlier this year, Stat News published a detailed investigation into UnitedHealthcare’s subsidiary, NaviHealth, and its use of algorithms to deny care for elderly patients under the company's Medicare Advantage plan. The report highlighted troubling cases, such as a stroke survivor being approved for only half the standard recovery care days.  

UnitedHealthcare and its parent company now face a class-action lawsuit over algorithm-based decisions, fueling outrage among patients and medical professionals alike, especially in critical care cases.  

Blame the System, Not the Individual

As CEO, Thompson became the public face of UnitedHealthcare’s corporate policies. This doesn’t mean he personally dictated every controversial decision; the issues run deeper, stemming from systemic flaws where profit maximization often overshadows ethical considerations.  

The LUIGI token phenomenon reflects a troubling romanticization of violence as a form of protest. Both the killer and the victim risk becoming caricatures, distracting from the real issues — systemic failures in healthcare and economics that demand reform, not speculative profiteering off human tragedies. 

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